NC Healthcare Coverage Blog

Up until now, American women have always known to get an annual mammogram after age 40. Now, all of a sudden they are being told that this is not necessary until age 50 unless they have certain cancer risks. And who is telling them this? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made the startling announcement last week.

It is certainly understandable that this new advice has made many women feel uneasy. It seems like it has come out of nowhere with no warning. We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer and many women under age 50 are now still alive because of a routine mammogram that discovered cancer early enough to be treated. Numerous women say they will ignore this advice and keep getting their mammograms as usual. On the flip side, there are those women who are excited, because they have been skeptical of the proficiency of the annual checkups for a long time.

Not only does the task force suggest women begin mammogram screening at age 5o, they are also saying that women age 50 to 74 get mammograms every two years instead of the standard yearly exams. Possibly the most surprising aspect to all these new guidelines is the almost unbelievable advice from doctors that women should stop doing self-checks on their breasts at home.

Since mammograms don’t cost too much for most women and are not invasive or painful, it will probably be difficult to change the minds of women who are cautious and are careful to get regular checkups in general. Many women who posted on nytimes.com said that they believe these new guidelines somehow stem from the debate on health care and are afraid that cost control was the culprit for this new scientific advice.